New Delhi: Captain Meg Lanning and Elyse Villani struck unbeaten half-centuries as defending champions Australia thrashed Sri Lanka by nine wickets in a Women's World T20 group league cricket match on Thursday.

The Australian women first restricted Sri Lanka to 123 for 8 with a clinical bowling show and then easily chased down the target with 14 balls to spare to notch up their second win in three matches at the Feroze Shah Kotla here.

File picture of Meg Lanning. Getty

Lanning (56 not out) and Villani (53 not out) stitched 98 runs in 13.1 overs for the unbroken second wicket, after opener Alyssa Healy (12) was out in the fifth over, as Australia romped home by reaching 125 for one in 17.4 overs.

Lanning hit eight boundaries in his 53-ball unbeaten knock while Villani had nine fours in his 39-ball unbeaten innings.

With the win today, Australia, who had lost to New Zealand in their previous match, are now on four points and they play Ireland in their last Group A match on March 26 here.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are on the brink of elimination from the touranament after they suffered their second loss today.

Opting to bat, Sri Lanka lost Yasoda Mendis (0) in the second ball of the match but recovered immediately with captain Chamari Attapattu (38) and one-down Dilani Manodara (38) adding 75 runs for the second wicket in 10.1 overs.

But after Dilani was out in the 11th over, the Sri Lankans lost way as wickets fell at regular intervals to end their innings at 123 for 8.